Sedentary Activity Shortens Your Life

YOUR DAILY FIT TIP

Get off the couch – your life depends on it! Sitting for long periods of time without physical activity – whether you’re watching TV, playing video games, or at a computer – has contributed to rising obesity rates in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Published in the online edition of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, the study reports that people who watched TV for more than four hours a day were at an increased risk for death. Australian researchers tracked 8,800 people for six years and found that the four-hour-plus tube-watchers were 46% more likely to die of any cause and 80% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease, compared to people who reported spending less than two hours a day in front of the telly.

Got an office job that requires you to sit for eight hours a day? To minimize your sedentary activity, stand up every hour or two and take a mini-walk around your office. And when you get home in the evening, don’t park yourself in front of the boob tube. Instead, stay busy in the kitchen and cook a healthful meal; do ab exercises while you watch your favorite show; hit the gym; or take a walk around the neighborhood.

At the most basic level, exercising stimulates healthy blood circulation to your entire body, delivering fresh oxygen and nutrients throughout your cells and providing energy to all your body’s tissues, including your brain.

Exercise also reduces stress levels by giving you an outlet to release your frustrations and pent-up anxiety. It can help you overcome sleep problems, which are thought to be a trigger for depression. On a psychological level, exercise increases self-esteem and provides a sense of mastery that can make your troubles feel like they aren’t that overwhelming after all.